Bookholding device



July 4, 1933. L. M, WEBBER I 1,916,591

BOOKHOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, 1931 2 Sheets--Sheet 1 Leonard/W. fiber 5 3 A rro/e/v x y 1933- M. WEBBER BOOKHOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, l95l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [/v VE/vroR Leonard M M eber;

A TTORA/EK Patented July 4, 1933 nommn wEBBER, or LOS ANGEL-ES, CALIFORNIA nooxrronnmelnnvioni" i timate filed November. 16 19s1'. se;'i r1"110,575,262.

My invention relates to a book-holding device, and more particularly to adevicefor supportingi'abook such as a catalog or telephone boo It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a device which supports a book so that when it'is not in use it occupies every small space. i

It is' a further object of my 1 invention -to provide a device of the class described which may be manipulatedtosupport a book in a position in which it may be very easily read.

It is still another obj ect of my' invention to provide ajbook-supporting device-which may: be moved from its folded or inoperative position to its unfolded orextended position and locked its extended position'with the exertion of very slight physical force. I

It is likewise an objectmf-m'yinventionto provide a device of the class described which may be unlocked" from its extended position and moved into its'folded position with the exertion of slight physicalforce. I

It is still another object of my inventionto provide a book-supporting device'which may be swung about a vertical axis when it is folded or extended so that when not in use the supporting device and the book may be swung into a position parallel to the vertical surface to which it is secured.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be made evident in the following description which may be betterunderstood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Y

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partially'sectioned, of the device of my invention in a folded position.

Fig. 2 is=an elevational view, partially-sec- 4d tioned, of thedevice of my inventionin' its extended position and supporting a book.

Fig. 3 is an end elevationa-l view,-partially sectioned, of my book-supporting device taken as indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view from below of the device of my invention in extended position.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only, and particularly to Fig. -1 thereof,-the numeral 11 indicates a supporting means. or bracket by which the book s'upporting device of my invention is secured to a vertical surface 12 as by screws 13. i The bra'cket'11 is'provided'with horizontal ears 114through which' bolts'15 are extend ed and se'cured-bynuts 16. swingably mounted between the bolts'15 are horizontal flanges 17 which are bent at right angles to a support 18: The support-1'8is'provided'on its forward sur-face, or that' surface opposite to the flanges 17, with retain'ing flan es 1'9. As'illustrated best in Fig; 3,ea'clio the retaining flanges 19proj ects over the: surface of thesup port 1811 short distance and'extends substantially 'th'roughout the'entire length of the support 18'; I -Formed at each" side of the upper endof the support 18 is a-pin supporting projection 20. 'Each of the projections 20 is provided with asubsta'nti ally elliptical opening 21, the major axis of which is'horizontah Extending through 'th'e' open'ings 21 of the two'projections 20-'is a bolt 22' which is retained in place'by a nut The-diameter of the bolt 22 is somewhat less than the length of the 1ninor-'ax is of the elliptical opening 21 so that the bolt 22 is horizontally movable relative to the-support 18.

Swingably mounted upon the bolt 22 are rearwardly projecting supports 24. formed 'on each side of a wing supporting member 25 at its upper end. As is well illustrated in Fig. 1, the wing supporting member 25 is somewhatlonger than the'support 18 and is provided at its lower end with a rearwardly curved portion or handle 26. The wing supporting member 25 is provided with lateral extensions 27 at its sides, each of which is bent to cylindrical form to surround a pin 28. Supported upon each of the pins 28 is a wing 29 which'is provided with extensions 30 complementary to the extensions 27 and likewise bent to a cylindrical form to surround the pin 28. A portion of each of the wings 29 is cut away adjacent the wing supporting member 25, as indicated by the numeral 31 of Fig. 4, 95 so that a coil spring 32 may be disposed around the pin 28 with one of its ends engaging the lower or rearward surface of one of the wings 29, and the other of its ends engaging the upper or outer surface of the 1 wing supporting member 25. The springs 32 serve to resiliently urge the wings 29 to swing about the pin 28 into a closed position. The wings 29 may be of any shape adapted to support the covers of the book to be held by the device. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the wings 29 are fiat members which extend beyond thegc'over of a book 33 which the device is adaptedto support, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Secured to the outer or lower surface of each of the wings 29 adjacent the centerthereof as by welding or soldering, is a'sm'all'disc 34 provided with a pair of projections 35.

Extending through each pair of projections 35 is a, pin 36 upon which there is sw'mgablymounted one endof a wing actuating arm 37. The other end'ofeach of the wing actuating arms 37 is swingably mounted upon a pin 38, secured between a pain-ofprojections 39, which is'attachedasby a bolt 40 to anear 41 provided by a plate/42. I z

The plate 42 isattached in any suitable manner 13o ;a. sliding member or, engaging member 43 which is disposed betweenthesup: port 18 andj'the flanges 1 9 so as to be slida-ble relative to the suppo'rt 18. As illustrated in the drawings, *the'ears 41 and'thepairsof pro- .jection's 3 5;are so related to each other that the wing actuating members 37 swing'freely about the 'pins36 and 38 when the wings '29 are swung about, the -pins-28.

Attached to the engaging member-143 ashort dis'tance above the late 42 is a pair of supporting projections 44 to which there is secured a-p'in45; Swingably mountedupon the pin 45 is'one end'of a link 46, the other end of which is swingablyimounted u'pon'a pin 47 which is supported between "brackets 48 secured to the wing supporting member 25. As the wing supporting member 25 is swung upwardly about the bolt-22 the'link' 46 causes the engaging member 43 to move upwardly relative to the support 18,-and as the wing supporting member 25 is swung-downwardly about the'bolt 22 the link 46 causes the en gagingmember 43 to move downwardly relative to the support 18. The wing actuating arms 37 operate to unfoldthe wings 29 as the wing supporting member '25 is swung upwardly until the wings 29 are almost in the same plane, as illustrated in 3'. Likewise, when the wing supporting -member 25 is moved downwardly, the wingactuating members 37 cause the wings 29 to swing about the pins 28 toward each otherintotheir folded position.

The wing supporting member 25 -is provided at its'upper end and adj acent'its lower end with a'forwardly or'upwardly extending projection49 through which a'rod50is'extended. The rod-50 is secured inp'lace'by'a nut 51 softhat it'is spacially relatedto the upper surface of'the wing supporting member 25, thus permittingthebindirig of the book 33 to be placed between the rod 50 and the wing supporting member 25. Likewise provided at the upper end of the wing supporting member 25 is a rearwardly extending projection 52 substantially normal to the plane of the wing supporting member 25. The projection 52 is provided with an engagingfinger 53 benitto animat angle with the projection 52. The finger 53 is adapted to cooperate with the walls of an opening 54 formedm the upperi'ad' of the engaging member 43to retain the engaging member 43 in 'its uppermost position. As may be seen hy reference to Fig, 2, the engaging finger 53 is stencil 'a leiigththat when the wing supporting member; 25 zis in' its 'most ,forward position with the, bolt :22 at the forward end of -the,e l l-iptieal opening -21, the engaging finger 53 extends through the opening 54in the engaging encumber-43 and thus prevents the doWnwa-td; :movement of the engaging member 43,, lnai smuch1asgthe wing Supporting member 25 is prevented by the v'lin'k46 firommovin'g downwardly about the belt 22 while the engagingimember 43 is stationary, the eXtensi0n,.-;of -,'the engaging finger '53 through :the opening 54 serves to retain fthe wing supporting member 25 in the position inwhioh it-'if's illustrated inF-igs. 2, 3, and 4.

The:m0ment-of;the-wing supporting-member 25, the wings-29, and the book:33-about the 45 causesthewvingsupporting member 25 to always 'tend;to 11love 'td-its 'IIIOQtforward position with ,-the;ei1ga'ging rfinger :53 extendingthroug'hthe opening' fi'a :rilllUS when the wing supporting member 25 israised to its elevated position, it is automatically. locked in this position-when the-elevating force is relieved trom the handle 26. Theengaging finger-53-is of-such a length that whenthe wing supporting member 25 is 'movedto its rearm'ost-position with thebolt-22 at-the rearward 'end'of the elliptical opening '21, the engaging finge'rH53 is withdrawn from'contact with the walls-of the opening 54 so that the wing-suppo'rtingmember25 is free to he. swung downwardly about the bolt 22.

Ifi'it'is desired, a reinforcingmember 55 may 'be secured to the forward or outer surface of the engaging member 43'to provide 1*;

additidnalrigidit'y.

The operation ofmy invention is as tol lows:

lhe'nut'sl =isremoved :from the rod 50 and'theb'ook33 is-dispos'ed upon "the wing member 25, and the wings 29 may beswung about the bolts 15 so that they are parallel to the vertical surface 12' to which the device is attached, in which position they will occupy very little space; When it is desired to open the book, the book 33, the wing supporting member 25, and the wings 29 may be swung about the bolts 15 until they are in a plane whichis not'parallel to the vertical surface 12. If nowthe handle portion 26 of the wing-supporting member 25 be grasped and swung upwardly-about the bolt 22, the upward movement of the supporting projections48 of the wing supporting member 25 will cause the engaging member 43 to slide upwardly relative to the support 18. This upward movement of the engaging member 43 and the wings 29 causes the wings 29 to be gradually unfolded. This upward movement of the wing supporting member 25 is continued until it reaches the position in which it is illustrated inFig. 2, at which time the wings are extended, as illustrated in Fig. 3. As explained hereinbefore, the weight of the book 33, the wing supporting member 25, and the wings 29, acting about the pin 45, causes the wing supporting member 25 to. assume its most forward position relative to the .support 18 so that the bolto22 is at the forward end of the elliptical opening 21. Consequently, when the wing supporting member 25reachesits uppermost'position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and the engaging member 43 is likewise in its uppermost position, as illustrated in the same figure, the engaging member 53 projects through the opening 54 of the engaging member 43. tolock the'deviee in=its extended position. Inasmuch -as the book is supported in its extended position'by three rigid arms, it is apparent that the device of my invention provides ample means for the support of the book in itsopened position.

' l V hen it is desired to close the book, it is necessary only to grasp the handle portion 26 of the wing supporting member 25 and exert thereon a slight force parallel to the wing supporting member 25 and toward the vertical surface 12. This force causes the wing supporting member 25 to be moved toward the vertical surface 12 and causes the bolt 22 to be moved to the rearward end of the elliptical opening 21. Thus the engaging finger 53 is withdrawn from the opening 54 of the engaging member 43 and the wing supporting member 25 is free to move downwardly about the bolt 22. As the wing supporting member 25 moves downwardly the link 46 moves the engaging member 43 downwardly toward the position illustrated in Fig. 1. By virtue of the connection through the actuating arms 37 between the engaging member 43 and the wings 29, this downward movement of the engaging member 43 serves to swing the wings 29 into a folded position, thus closing the book 33. When the wing supporting member 25 is in its lowermost position, as illustrated in Fig. l, the wings 29 have folded toward each other a sufficient extent to entirely close the book Inasmuch as the device of my invention containing a book may be swung when not in use into a position parallel to the vertical surface upon which it is supported, it is obvious that the device of my invention occupies extremely small space when not in use. It should likewise be obvious from the foregoing description of the operation of the illustrated embodiment of my invention that my book-supporting device may be moved into and locked in extended position, in which position the book is so supported as to be easily available for reference, and it may be unlocked from its extended position and moved into its closed position by the exertion of slight physical force.

l/Vhile I have described the illustrated embodiment of my invention as attached to a vertical surface 12, it should be obvious that the bracket llimay be of such form that the device may be attached to a surface in any other plane.

' It will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that there are many changes in the details of construction and relative arrangement of parts which will readily occur to them, and I do not, therefore, desire to be particularly limited to the exact disclosure which I have presented in the specification and drawings for the purpose of illustrating the principles of my invention. I desire only to be limited to the scope of my invention as I have-defined it in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a book-holding device, the co1nbination of: a support; a book-supporting member pivoted at its upper end to said support so as to be vertically swinga-ble and horizontally movable relative thereto; an engaging member slidable relative to said support and connected to said book-supporting member so as to be moved toward the upper end of said book-supporting member by the swinging up of said book-supporting member; and an engager adapted for engagement with said engaging member to secure said booksupporting member in extended position, said engaging member being adapted for disengagement from said projection by slight hori Zontal movement of said book-supporting member relative to said support.

2. In a book-holding device, the combination of: a support; a wing supporting member pivoted at its upper end to said support and vertically swingable relative thereto; a slidable engaging member associated with said support and connected to said wing support so as to be moved upwardly by the outward swing of said wing support; wings pivoted to said-wing supporting member and connected to said engagmgmember so as to be unfoldedby the upward movement of said engaging member and folded :by its downward movement; and engaging means adapted for engagement with said engaging memher in its uppermost position to retain said engaging member stationary, said. engaging means being disengaged .from said engaging member by the exertion ofslightzhorizontal force on said wing supporting member.

3. In a book-holding device, the combination of: a support; a wing supporting member pivoted at its upper end to said support sons to be vertically swingable relative thereto and horizontally movable a short distance relative thereto; :an engaging member slid ably associated with said support; connecting means between, said engaging member and said wing supporting member for moving said engaging member upwardly when said wingsupporting member isswung ontwardly; wings pivoted to said wing supportingzmember; connecting means between I said wings and said engaging member for member and said wing supporting.member for moving-said engaging member upwardly when said wing supporting member-is swung outwardly; wings pivoted to said wing supporting member; connecting means between said wings and said engaging member for unfolding said wings when said engaging member moves upwardly; and a projection on the upper end of said wing supporting member and adapted for engagement with said engaging member to restrain its movement when said wing supporting member is at the foremost end of its horizontal movement.

5. In a book-holding device, the combination of: a support; a wing supporting memits upper end; connecting means between said-engaging member and said wing supporting member for moving said engaging member upwardly when said wing supporting member is swungoutwardly wings pivoted-to said wing supporting member; connecting means between said wings and said engaging member for unfolding said wings when said engaging member moves upwardly;; and -an engagerpnthenpper end of said wing supporting anember adapted to extend through said opening .in said engaging member when said engaging member is in its uppermost position ;and said wing supporting member is in its foremost position, said engaging member being disengaged from said vengager iby the rearward horizontal movement of said wing supporting member. l

6. In .a book-supporting device, the combination .of :a bracket; a support pivoted :to said bracket so as :to .bezhorizontall y swingable relative thereto; a wing supporting member pivoted to said support so as-.to be vertically swingable and horizontally lmov able relative thereto; .a sliding member 'associated with xsaid support solasltobe movable parallel to :saidsuppont, said sliding member having anopening therein; a rigid member :connecting said support and said wing supportingmenrberso as to move said sliding member :upward'ly when said wing supporting member is swung outwardly; wings swingab'ly mounted on. said wing supporting .member and adapted to support .a book; rigid auxiliary .members connecting said ra lings-to said sliding member so that said wings areopened when said sliding member'is moved upwardly; and a projection on said wing supporting member adapted to -extend through said opening in said sliding member when said wing supportingmember is in its most forward position and to disengage said sliding member when said wing supporting member is in'its most rearward posit-ion.

7. In a device ofthe character described, the combination oii: ;a support; a book rest pivot-ally connected to said support; and locking means connecting said support and said -b l rest, said locking means being antomatically actuated by-the weight of said book'r-est in operative position to retain said book rest in operative position and being adapted for actuation by a slight force parallel to the axis of saidbook rest to release said' book rest for downward movement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set m-y'hand at Les Angeles, California-, this 6th day ot'November, 1931.

LEONARD M. WEBBER. 

